It is an honour to be invited to judge one’s own breed at Crufts. It does however, present the elected judge with a number of challenges. Firstly, the majority of exhibitors and exhibits will be familiar and for me, on the day, this was no exception. Fellow breeders, friends and acquaintances (and some who do not fall into these categories), would await in eager anticipation of receiving prize cards. Many will be disappointed.   Secondly, the old adage applies - ‘it is about judging the dogs on the day’.  When standing in the middle of the ring it is the time to judge the bottom end of the lead, as it is, on the day, without fear or favour. Crufts gives no exemption and I found different attributes in dogs I had actively seen in the show ring over the last few years, of which some disappointed, some frustrated and many delighted.

The challenge of rewarding breed type in consideration of conformation is forever with us. It has to be about balancing the two; an acceptance that throughout the process of adjudication both must be considered in exact proportion to the degree of merit.

I was disappointed to find a number of dogs whose bite was incorrect. This has been the ‘drag’ of the breed for decades. It is not surprising therefore to find that this is specifically referred to in the breed standard - ‘wry mouth or tongue showing highly undesirable’. Today, this fault is as much a challenge to breeders as it ever was. This must never be overlooked. It doesn’t need a detailed table inspection of a Chin’s mouth to know that the bite is wry, just look at where the tongue peeps out.

Movement, on the whole, was pretty impressive. I penalised appropriately when I felt that it was particularly detrimental.

It was reassuring to find that the ‘characteristic look of astonishment’ is being maintained.

Finally, to those critics who express their concerns about brachycephalic breeds not being able to breathe effectively should have been present around Hall 4, Ring 24.  They would have witnessed over 100 Japanese Chins careering around the green carpet with little or no evidence of breathing constraints.

Thanks to my extremely hard working stewards for their much valued support.

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Veteran - Dog. Entries: 6 Abs: 0                       

1st Pearce and Hann’s Bih/Slo Ch Choya Kanji Na With Rakuchin (Re-Imp). Beautifully proportioned in every respect. Balanced head giving a bright expression. Presented in fabulous condition. Coat with resilient texture as required.  This dog is clearly a great challenge. Let me state that he is perfectly sound but is intent in moving at his own unacceptable pace which will test the skill of any handler. When checked and settled his clean front and strong rear drive demonstrates accurate and precise movement. BVIB.  

2nd Steele’s Yama Manoochi At Threadgold. Full of breed type. Slightly larger but  well balanced portraying a square appearance. His head is a lovely feature, especially his well padded cushioning.  Great for neck and lay of shoulders. Loved his eye size and expression. Coat not as silky in texture or furnishings abundant as 1.  Excellent on the move.

3rd Bailey’s Pochinka Edward Bear At Aldoricka. It’s incredible to recollect that over a decade ago I witnessed this beautiful dog winning a Championship Show Toy Puppy Group. Today at 12 ½ years old he has lost none of those breed type attributes of yesteryear. He was presented in excellent condition but not possess quite the fervour or enthusiasm of 1 and 2.   

Minor Puppy - Dog. Entries: 2 Abs: 0                       

1st O’herihy’s Randalets Celtic Fire [ATC AV03281USA].  Sable and White. His well shaped head is in proportion to his overall appearance. Large eyes with alert expression giving that important look of astonishment. Refined but compact. Super feet. A little hesitant at times but coped admirably. Super mouth and finish. Moved extremely well in all directions.

2nd Farrugia’s Auralea Made In Wales For Amronchi. I thought from the outset that this eye catching youngster would be my winner.  He is extremely mature for his age and presented in superb coat and condition. Moved with such style.

Puppy - Dog. Entries: 3 Abs: 0                       

1st Tarabad’s Tillashby's Nick Is In A Twist At Frondil. This pretty dog is small, fine and dainty. Well-proportioned throughout.   He has an inquisitive expression and a mind of his own! Well-padded muzzle and neat finish. Neck well set on and enough length to carry his head proudly when on the move. Beautifully presented abundant coat of correct texture. Sympathetically handled and on top form today. BPD & BPIB.

2nd Thomas’s Javalcy The Great Mikado. Neat, square and compact. Super eyes giving a bright desired expression. Beautifully presented coat of correct texture and pattern. Ideal neck and spring of rib. High set tail. Very impressive when standing in profile. In a really close call here, I just preferred the front movement of 1.

3rd Swanston’s Pamojill Fin. Nicely bodied youngster if a touch longer cast. Masculine head, level back line and high set tail. Beautifully textured coat. A little unsure of himself but sympathetically guided by his young handler.  

Junior - Dog. Entries: 6 Abs: 0                       

1st Banks’s Choya Tadashi. A mature teenager sporting a well finished coat beautifully presented. He is a totally honest, uncomplicated and ‘all male’. Skull is broad between well placed small ears abundantly feathered. Short broad muzzle and perfect dentition. Large, round dark eyes, OK for expression. Well laid shoulders beneath a goodly length of neck, secure level back and high set tail with featherings cascading down each side. The movement of this dog is as accurate as the day is long. He gave a flawless performance which, ultimately, gave him the class.    

2nd Martin’s Lizamela Marchello. Demonstrates an absolutely stunning silhouette when standing. Head with reasonably sized eyes, super nose placement. Fabulous cushioning. Mouth OK.  Coat abundant, silky and presented superbly. Super neck. His dainty regal movement when viewed in profile is most eye catching but was somewhat unsettled coming and going, so in making this very close decision, I shared his owner’s disappointment.

3rd Farmer’s Sangria De Ja Vous.  Another lovely little dog who scores in head qualities, especially those beautiful large round eyes giving the desired expression. Excellent mouth. Perhaps a touch longer cast. Fine and dainty throughout and very accurate on the move but not the most confident today. In excellent coat.

Yearling - Dog. Entries: 9 Abs: 1                       

1st Speight’s Bonniroy Yatsen Aka.  This straightforward and candid R/W is maturing nicely. Relatively large broad head with expressive wide set dark eyes giving the favoured expression. Excellent detention; neat finish to mouth. Well bodied put would prefer him a tad shorter coupled. Neck well set on sloping shoulders, secure level back and high set tail. Moved superbly making the most of his well-muscled moderately angulated hindquarters which will enable him to ‘go all day’.

2nd Hudson & Steele’s Sharlarna Valentino At Threadgold.  Well balanced throughout and of a very appealing size. Superbly textured coat, well presented. Well shaped skull, OK mouth, well placed nose and high set small ‘v’ shaped furnished ears as required. OK size of eye. Moved very well.

3rd Rushton’s Sangria Standing Ovation At Tiflin. A rather enduring young dog with large expressive eyes. Superbly balanced throughout with the advantage of being decidedly fine and dainty. Good for neck and shoulders, topline and tail setting. Super hare shaped feet. Not quite the furnishings of 1 but has time on his side.  Honest sound mover.

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Post Graduate - Dog. Entries: 10 Abs: 1                     

1st Farmer’s Sangria Pamojill Private Eye. Super for expression. This dainty fine boned dog’s dark sparkling eyes are so captivating. Excellent nose placement and finish of foreface. Nicely bodied. Super hare feet. Perhaps a tad shorter on leg.  Liked his ribbing and topline. Tail is set high with a perfect lift and well feathered. Light, agile mover. Presented in excellent order.  

2nd Mahoney & Leathwood’s Haiku Hattori Hanzo Murraylake. A most impressive Sable and White boy with dark pigmentation to enhance. Scores in overall size and balance. Presented in excellent order. Steady accurate mover. In the final analysis 1 just had the edge in expression.

3rd Burns & Black’s Yama Take A Chance. Heavily marked in body. Well marked head and foreface.  Nicely put together and particularly impressed by his cobbyness. Moved steadily. Not always secure in topline.  Well set tail.

Limit - Dog. Entries: 16 Abs: 0

The class of the day.                 

1st Young’s Sharlarna's Magician. Headed a really strong class. This dog surprised me today. Square in outline, nicely proportioned and in total harmony with his owner. Head of correct size for body, sufficient cushioning and good finish of jaw. Used his neck to advantage. Body was nicely ribbed; shoulders well laid. Clean front and strong hindquarters. His overall construction and muscle tone produced impressive movement and he never stopped showing. CC, his first and BOB.

2nd Mountcastle’s  Holmchin Gorgeous George. Most attractive head qualities on this relatively small but well constructed dog. Gorgeous dark, round, expressive eyes. Short coupled throughout with secure topline, high set tail and silky fine coat. Moved so freely and pressed 1 all the way. When called in for the challenge he really pulled out all the stops so therefore, I was delighted to award him RCC.

3rd Godbehere’s Tillashby Arubato. Another lovely dog. Balanced and beautifully constructed which was clearly demonstrated in his free accurate movement. Presented in first class condition. Whilst it was an extremely close call here I felt that in the final go around he was slightly overshadowed by the animation of 1 & 2. He is a sound honest dog and an excellent example of the breed.

Open - Dog. Entries: 9 Abs: 3                       

1st Farmer’s Sangria Riverdancer. Super for head and expression. Liked the finish of underjaw and cushioning. Excellent for neck, forequarters, lay of shoulder and topline. Just a touch longer cast. Impressive sound careful mover and appeared to really enjoy himself in the ring today.  

2nd Vincent’s Yama Teddy Edward JW. Very different in type to 1 but with many of the same attributes. Appealing eyes and expression; superb cushioning.  I love his overall balance. He is cobby and square with the correct amount of substance. This lovely dog gave enough but appeared somewhat disinterested in the whole thing which was a shame.  

3rd Mahony’s Am Ch Haiku Tacori Yamato Takeru Shishio (Imp USA). Very attractive dog being well balanced and attentive. On the move his gait is light stylish but he was a touch careless in front at times.  I preferred the head and eye expression of 2. Presented in fabulous order and very attentive to his owner.

Good Citizen Dog Scheme - Dog. Entries: 7 Abs: 0                       

1st Moss’s Tillashby Tanoshi Of Delphlands.  Appealing, relatively small dog being nicely proportioned. Eyes just lacked the desired expression. Super temperament and well handled.

2nd Doran’s Shardlow Mikado With Osakazuki. Excellent head and shape. Beautifully presented. A touch longer cast than 1. Sound and accurate on the move and well-schooled.  

3rd Quinn’s Mattadam Samurai At Sharlarna. Appealing head and expression. A touch short in neck. Lovely body proportions. Beautiful coat presentation. His well-muscled hindquarters aided effortless movement.  

Veteran - Bitch. Entries: 5 Abs: 0                       

1st Oatridge’s Ch Dalehouse Crystal Tips. A worthy champion and beautiful to examine on the table. Enduring expression from lovely eyes. Well balanced head, adequate neck. Level topline and high set tail.

2nd Pearce & Hann’s Choya Takara Of Rakuchin. Another one with a beautiful head. Fine, dainty and ultra-feminine. Straight front legs, super hare feet. Well bodied.  Just preferred the topline of 1.  Superbly presented throughout.

3rd Flynn’s Choya Eclispe Of Linjato. Lovely Sable and White girl. Impressive overall shape and size being decidedly square and cobby. Presented to perfection. She was a reluctant mover today which was a pity.

Minor Puppy - Bitch. Entries: 1 Abs: 0                       

1st Emmerson’s Auralea Wishful Thinking. This puppy presents such a beautiful outline. Square, compact, cobby and decidedly feminine with it too!  Beautiful head and eyes. In respect of movement she just needs to strengthen in rear and to settle in front but maturity is on her side. Very promising.

Puppy - Bitch. Entries: 6 Abs: 2                       

1st Vincent’s Auralea Dare To Dream At Yama.  Square and Cobby with an excellent spring of rib. I liked her overall balance and conformation. In great coat for age. Needs no more weight! Moved very accurately in all directions.

2nd Banks’s Choya Scarlett O'hara. Sable and White and very feminine. Finer than 1 but not quite as settled in topline. Maturity is on her side. Loved her overall size for age and her square outline. Beautifully presented and well-schooled.  

3rd Hudson & Steele’s Threadgold Minniehaha. Super for expression and head qualities. Smaller than both 1 and 2. Fine and dainty. It appeared she had cast most of her coat which appeared to make her look a lot smaller than she actually was. Once her coat has grown back and with more bodyweight she will trouble the best. Sound impressive mover and a real showgirl.

Junior - Bitch. Entries: 7 Abs: 1                       

1st Banks’s Choya Tomomi. Rather alike her litter brother that won PD, she too benefits from being well proportioned and constructed. She has a beautiful coat for her age. Excellent reach of neck, topline and tail set. She really comes into her own on the move.

2nd George’s Ossidcla Shina At Amronchi. Scores in shape and size. Head of correct shape, well set ears and adequate neck. Eyes OK. Secure topline and high set tail. A touch short in body coat but this is the junior stage! Moved well.

3rd Wolfenden’s Bechinka Minto. Very pretty head. Ears of correct shape and size beautifully feathered. Fine boned throughout. Lovely hare shaped feet. Just lacking body weight which I felt  made the difference in her placing today. Impressive mover.

Yearling - Bitch. Entries: 5 Abs: 0                       

1st Flynn’s Linjato Mimiko. This is a very beautiful bitch. I admired her size, shape and overall substance. Skull is broad between well set ears, good stop and finish of foreface. Dark large round eyes. She just about managed to hold things together to win a very nice class.

2nd Matches’s Godheim Star Spangle Banner At Fochai. Excels in size and cobbyness. Super head and expression. Lovely body proportions. Honest and sound on the move. Coat coming back, but not yet the finish of 1.   

3rd Quinn’s Sharlarna Japanese Please. A really happy girl, completely at one with her handler. Very fit and well-muscled. Loved those expressive eyes. Great finish to foreface.  Moved steadily in profile if a touch narrow going away. Lovely textured coat and excellent presentation.

Post Graduate - Bitch. Entries: 8 Abs: 1                       

1st Forth’s Yama Miss Saigon Omegaville. This girl is an exemplary showgirl. She is balanced, well bodied but loses nothing in the realms of femininity. Lovely expression from large dark eyes. Super finish to muzzle. Great chest and ribbing. Hindquarters consist of strong fine bone with good turn of stifle. Clean front assembly. A very accurate mover in all directions. Delighted to award her RCC.

2nd Flynn’s Linjato Miyami. When standing she accomplishes the ideal ratios required to produce the desired outline. Presented in the highest order, this girl has a very feminine expression with the darkest of eye pigmentation. Just preferred the finish of foreface of 1 but a close call.  

3rd Smith’s Wyndcatch Constance. A sound, honest bitch whose movement adequately demonstrates her excellent construction. In beautiful condition. I just preferred the eye expression of 2.  

Limit - Bitch. Entries: 10 Abs: 3                     

1st Rooney & Green’s Swifthocks Paws For Thought. This bitch has been a constant winner throughout her career in the show ring. She is an exemplary showgirl, beautifully schooled and always at one with her handler. Her superb construction produces breath-taking movement. She has a super feminine head, full of the desired curves enhanced by fabulous cushioning and eyes with correct expression.  Delighted to award her the crowning CC much to the joy of the ringside. A very worthy champion.

2nd Blow & Allen’s Yama Misty Morning. A very glamourous feminine girl with a pretty head and expression. Large, bright well-set appealing eyes, ideal nose placement and cushioned muzzle to finish. Super for neck, topline and tail setting. Sound accurate mover.  

3rd Crane’s Cranvarl Le Mistral JW. Another lovely gir completing this competitive trio. Excels in head and expression. Super neck and topline. Tail high set as required. Not quite the finish of 2.

Open - Bitch. Entries: 3 Abs: 0                       

1st Oatridge’s Dalehouse Iponema. Totally sound and honest as demonstrated on the move. Impressive to examine. Due to the thickness of her coat she outwardly appears to be a touch stuffy throughout but this is not actually the case. Correctly shaped skull, gorgeous eyes and finish, all giving that desired expression. Considered her for the RCC.  

2nd Vincent’s Ch Yama Here Comes Kitty. Stunning head qualities. Square and compact throughout. She was not that animated on the move today particularly in forehand. Close decision here between these two lovely bitches.

3rd Day’s Godhemi Oklahoma At Dorcharday. Produces a very good shape when standing. OK for head and expression. Untidy in front movement and overall unsettled today.

Good Citizen Dog Scheme - Bitch. Entries: 1 Abs: 0                       

1st Quinn’s Sharlarna Japanese Please

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Tony Allcock MBE